Tourism Kelowna video wins big at Cannes

Yes, we all know the Cannes Film Festival is where the likes of Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, Chris Hemsworth, Richard Gere, Kevin Costner and Cate Blanchett strut the red carpet to flog their latest blockbusters.

But, in this glamorous enclave on the French Riviera there's also the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

It's not as star studded and high profile as the film fest, but the corporate media event is important too and recognizes excellence in the genre.

And this is where we localize all this information.

Tourism Kelowna just won a Silver Dolphin at this year's Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards in the 'tourism films destinations -- cities' category.

It's for the one-minute-and-57-second 'Explore More of Kelowna in All Seasons' video by Vancouver-based videographer and drone operator Nic Collar.

It's a slick, fast-moving, dynamically edited promotional piece highlighting scene bursts of what makes Kelowna such a compelling tourist destination from valley, lake, mountain, vineyard and city vistas to boating, golfing, skiing, cycling, snowshoeing, wine touring, dining and Indigenous history.

The video tells the story, so narration is scant.

What narration there is comes from unidentified people in the video and is impactful.

For instance, the video starts with someone thrilling 'Ah...beautiful' and then a woman hiking mountaintop remarking 'Whoah. It's frickin gorgeous out guys.'

A woman in a couple touring a vineyard with a winemaker asks 'Can you believe this is where you get to come to work everyday?'

At another point in the video, a woman kayaking brags 'I don't know how many times I say it: We live in paradise.'

You can see the Kelowna video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkUvJsPsh1I

The video has been used to tout Kelowna on the Tourism Kelowna website, YouTube, other social media platforms and at conferences, tradeshows and events.

Three other destinations were also honoured in the 'tourism films destinations -- cities' category -- Conil de la Frontera in Spain, Jacksonville in Florida and Wroclaw, Poland.

So, Kelowna is keeping excellent international company.

The jury that picked the winners was made up of nearly 100 experts from around the world.

Overall for the 15th annual Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, there were nearly 800 submissions from 46 countries that were shortlisted to 212 productions.

"It was an honour to receive the news from overseas that we had won this award," said Tourism Kelowna project lead Steve Small.

"The video aims to encourage people to visit and explore more of Kelwona by going behind the scenes with a tour, hearing from local business owners and learning about the culture of the syilx people."

Tourism Kelowna CEO Lisanne Ballantyne Ballantyne pointed out that winning also provides the opportunity for the video to be seen by thousands of people around the world who Tourism Kelowna may not have been able to reach previously.

"With the message that Kelowna is a year-round destination with a wide range of experiences in every season," she said.

"We recognize and applaud the passionate work put in by our team, the featured local businesses and videographer, which led to the creation of this award-winning video."

A total of 2.2 million people visit Kelowna annually making tourism a $2.4-billion-a-year economic powerhouse.